Thursday, December 15, 2005

Eh Poh Nim's Palindrome Quiz

The Star, 15 December 2005

EH Poh Nim, I need your help. I’m supposed to come up with some fun quiz for the school’s English Week. I’ve been swamped with marking exam papers and I don’t have time to think of ideas and I’m supposed to hand in the quiz this Saturday! Give me some ideas, quick!” Shanti rattles off over the phone.

“You know, fun type of questions. As long as they’re in Malayalam, they’ll do.”

“Malayalam? I thought you said it was for English Week?”

“I did, did I? Oh dear, oh dear. Must be all the Malayalam conversations I’ve been having with my aunt. She’s here on a holiday and has been staying with us for the past week. She doesn’t speak English so I have to talk to her in Malayalam. Sorry. Hello, hello, are you still there?”

Eh Poh Nim, who has been writing something on the notepad, exclaims, “Aha! I’ve got it! I’ve got what you want.”

“You have? So fast? Spill it out quick.”

“Malayalam. I did, did I? What are these words called?”

“What do you mean? You want me to write down these words? Okay, just a sec.”

Shanti grabs a piece of paper and writes down Malayalam and I did, did I.

“Spell them backwards,” instructs Eh Poh Nim.

“M-A-L-A-Y-A-L-A-M. It spells the same backwards! Palindromes! You’re a genius, Eh Poh Nim. Now you’ve got to help me come up with a quiz on palindromes. Ten questions would do. Please, pretty please?”

Shanti sounds so desperate that Eh Poh Nim doesn’t have the heart to turn her down. She has two hours before Desperate Housewives comes on, so she sits down at the computer to crank something up for Shanti. By 10.30, she has this quiz neatly typed up:

FUN WITH PALINDROMES

Palindromes are words that are the same spelt backwards. Some examples:

Don’t nod. I did, did I?A nut for a jar of tuna.

Now, fill in the blanks with palindromes. Ignore spaces and punctuation marks.

Lydia Teh

Lydia Teh's Website

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Author of :
1. Congratulations! You have won - A guidebook on how to maximize your chances of winning competitions,
2. Life's Like That - Scenes from Malaysian Life,
3. Honk! If You're Malaysian
4. Do You Wear Suspenders - The Wordy Tales of Eh Poh Nim 5. Stretching Your Dollar$ and $ense - More than 300 Money-saving Tips for Anyone and Everyone 6. Fun for Kids in Malaysia - An Essential Guide to Fun-tastic Activities for Children 7. The Wordy Tales of Eh Poh Nim #1 Big Bertha Meets Eh Poh Nim 8. Still Honking - More Scenes from Malaysian Life 9. Cow Sense for Young People